On May 29, 2025, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CCDI,中共中央纪律检查委员会中华人民共和国国家监察委员会) announced that Jingquan Bi (毕井泉), the former Director of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA,国家药品监督管理局), has been placed under investigation. The NMPA, formerly named the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA,国家食品药品监督管理总局), is China's healthcare regulator, similar to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The announcement stated that Jingquan Bi is under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and law," but did not disclose further details. We note, however, that the investigation is carried out by the CCDI, China's central government body responsible for anti-corruption enforcement.
Public information shows that Jingquan Bi served as the Director of the NMPA from January 2015 to March 2018, after which he was transferred to lead the State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR,国家市场监督管理总局). Jingquan Bi was removed from his role as Director of the SAMR in September 2018 due to a scandal relating to substandard vaccines produced by Chinese manufacturer Changchun Changsheng (长春长生).
During Jingquan Bi's tenure at the CFDA, he primarily initiated new schemes for drug approval, including an expedited approval process for generic drugs. He also introduced new regulatory programs, including the Marketing Authorization Holder system.
The investigation into Jingquan Bi appears to be part of Chinese regulators' continuing focus on anti-corruption enforcement in the life sciences industry, particularly relating to high-level government officials. Starting in 2024, multiple high-level government officials and former officials responsible for the regulation of drugs and medical devices have been reported to be under investigation, most recently former NMPA Deputy Director Shifei Chen, who was under investigation in February 2025.
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